Table of contents for 2021-07-16 in Cape Times

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za TIGER Brands said yesterday that it estimated at more than R150 million the loss of stock because of civil unrest, looting and vandalism to its property in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The largest food manufacturer in the country said a number of its sites in KwaZulu-Natal have been affected by acts of looting and vandalism, resulting in damage to its rice and snacks and treats operations. “It is currently estimated that the loss of stock is in excess of R150m. The loss of profit due to business interruption is still being quantified. The situation in KZN remains volatile, presenting a further risk to other Tiger Brands facilities in the area,” the group said. It said its bakery operations and the distribution of bread have been suspended…

South Africa is still reeling from the biggest fraud in our corporate history – the Steinhoff accounting scandal – and investors and shareholders who lost billions through the company’s fraud haven’t seen recompense or justice. The scandal has raised several questions for me: What are the ethical responsibilities of businesses beyond accounting and legal compliance? Should companies exist purely to turn a profit, or to what extent do businesses have a social responsibility to improve the lives of those within their broader communities? This month is Moral Regeneration Month and I do think we need to find our moral compass again. We can’t rebuild the capacity of the state or corporations without holding our political and private sector leaders to account. If we can’t hold our leaders accountable and responsible…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za TWO LISTED property groups, Safari Investments and Vukile Property Fund, suffered damage to their shopping centres, joining the many other retail store and centre owners that have to repair and rebuild. Safari Investments said yesterday that three of its retail centres in Gauteng had become targets of lawlessness. None of the company’s other investment properties had been affected. Security measures at Thabong shopping centre in Sebokeng had been breached, the centre had been looted and severe damage had been caused to all the shops. The situation remained volatile but was under control. The property was insured from both a capital and an income perspective. A recovery plan was under way to get the centre operational again. Security measures at Denlyn shopping centre in Mamelodi and Nkomo Village…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za RECEIVING just a single Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine jab helps protect against hospitalisation by up to 90%, while the second dose guards against symptomatic infection. So said Professor Tulio de Oliveira while yesterday unpacking how the Delta variant behaved, saying the vaccine was proven the world over to be effective against the strain. De Oliveira is the director at the KZN Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), and Professor of Bioinformatics at the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University. He has worked for more than 20 years with viral outbreaks, including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Chikungunya, Dengue, Sars-CoV-2, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus. He currently coordinates a network of genomic surveillance in South Africa. Speaking to the Cape Times live on Facebook yesterday,…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THREE commuters have been killed and three others, including a 5-month-old infant, were caught in crossfire in the latest taxi-related shootings in Khayelitsha yesterday. This brings the total number of people killed in taxi violence in the province to 79 since the start of the year. At about 3pm yesterday, suspects in a minibus taxi allegedly opened fire at a taxi in Mew Way, Harare, killing a 22-year-old woman and two men, aged 32 and 25. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said a 5-month-old was wounded and was in hospital. “We have reason to believe that another child who was a bystander was also wounded and taken away for treatment. Additional uniformed officers have been deployed to bring stability to a volatile situation in the area,” said Swartbooi.…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za MAKING the nation proud, 30-year-old Talya Davidoff, from Oudtshoorn, set a new South African national record – with a 64m Constant Weight with Bi-fins (CWT-BF) dive in two minutes and 31 seconds, at the Vertical Blue freediving championships at Deans Blue Hole, in the Bahamas. The exclusive invitational, featuring 42 freedivers from across the world, runs until July 23, and Davidoff has already broken two records. In addition to the CWT-BF she also broke the Free Immersion (FIM) discipline record, with a 66m dive in two minutes and 26 seconds. “I’m very stoked, I am the first South African to ever compete at Vertical Blues, you have to be pre-selected and you are competing against 41 of the best athletes from around the world. I was quite…

Julian Richfield EMPIRE OF PAIN Patrick Radden Keefe Loot.co.za (R292) PICADOR THE Sackler family are the owners of Purdue Pharma, the developers of OxyContin, the drug that has underlain the opioid epidemic in America. According to an Associated Press article on November 24, 2020, before a federal judge, “Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths, but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable in addition to the company”. In Empire of Pain, author Patrick Radden Keefe has written the fascinating and shocking story of the Sadler family. This immensely rich family’s philanthropy is acknowledged at some of the world’s major academic and cultural institution such as Oxford…

| Orielle Berry Firefly Lane Kristin Hannah Loot.co.za (R348) Pan MacMillan PROLIFIC writer Kristin Hannah’s original version of Firefly Lane (now a highly enjoyable major Netflix series) first came out in 2008 and has seen several reprints; the latest being at the end of last year. Hannah has penned more than 20 books and her popularity as an accessible author is indisputable, with her books being selected by many international book clubs and appearing on newspapers’ top selling lists. This coming of age saga may be almost 500 pages of small print but it is enticingly readable. It spans more than 30 years – starting off in 1974 when Kate Malarkey and Tully Hart meet. Kate is not the most popular girl at school where she is in…

THE Proteas, Kaizer Chiefs and the Springboks will provide some much- needed distraction for South Africa this weekend. It’s been a harsh week. Death, despair, destruction have filled our screens and news pages. The Rainbow Nation is broken. However we could all do with some solace. A time to look elsewhere, to those chasing or hitting a ball, trying to score, trying to pass, trying to tackle. It will be healthy to laugh, cry, heck or even scream at the errors of the sporting heroes of this country. We all need it. But there is also a need, from our side, as viewers and fans, for understanding. As we deal with our own anguish and seek distraction by watching the teams we support, we need to show empathy. Yes, the…

The Taliban have offered a three-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of 7 000 insurgent prisoners, an Afghan government negotiator said yesterday, as the militant group continues a sweeping offensive across the country. “It is a big demand,” said Nader Nadery, a key member of the government team involved in peace talks with the Taliban, adding the insurgents also demanded the removal of their leaders’ names from a UN blacklist. It was not clear how the government would react to the ceasefire offer, which comes as the US accelerates the pace of a troop withdrawal due to be finished by August 31. Nadery’s revelation came as Pakistan security forces used tear gas yesterday to disperse hundreds of people who tried to force their way across the border from Chaman…

Employers can in principle ban staff from wearing headscarves in the workplace, an EU court ruled yesterday in two cases brought by Muslim women working in Germany. A ban on religious symbols such as headscarves “may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes”, the European Court of Justice said in a statement.The employer must also show it is not discriminating between different beliefs and religions in its policy. The two women, a cashier in a chemist and a special needs carer, had taken their cases to German courts after being prohibited from wearing headscarves at work. The German courts had then referred the cases to the ECJ for an interpretation of EU law. National courts must examine in each…

GENEVA: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Committee yesterday maintained its stance that proof of Covid-19 vaccination should not be required for international travel, amid a growing debate on blocking the entry of travellers if they are unvaccinated. The independent experts said that vaccinations should not be the only condition to permit international travel, given limited global access and inequitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. The experts had previously said that requiring proof of vaccination deepens inequities and promotes unequal freedom of movement. | Reuters…

AMSTERDAM: Celebrity Dutch crime reporter Peter R. De Vries has died after being shot last week, Dutch RTL news reported. The attack last week on De Vries, 64, had drawn outrage across Europe. De Vries was a celebrity in the Netherlands as an expert crime reporter with sources in both law enforcement and the underworld. “Peter fought till the end but wasn’t able to win this battle. He died surrounded by the people who loved him,” his family said. De Vries won an international Emmy Award in the current affairs category in 2008 for his work investigating the disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005. | Reuters…

MATSHELANE MAMABOLO kolobe24@gmail.com WHEN they walk onto the pitch of the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Morocco tomorrow night, the players of Al Ahly will be armed with such intelligence on their opponents Kaizer Chiefs you would swear they have played them on numerous occasions. Ali Maaloul will know only too well not to allow Yagan Sasman the opportunity to deliver a cross from the wing. Badr Banoun will stick to Samir Nurkovic like a rash, hardly allowing the big Chiefs striker any opportunities on the loose ball. Giving away set pieces in the danger area will be avoided at all cost lest the likes of Erick Mathoho get the opportunity to slot in the aerial ball. Up front, Mohamed Sherif and Mohamed Magdy are sure to know exactly what…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za LIBERTY Holdings’ share price leapt to a year-high of R85 a share on the JSE yesterday morning after Standard Bank announced its intention to buy the shares that it does not already own in the financial services group for about R11 billion. Standard Bank owns 54 percent of Liberty Holdings. Standard Bank said the integration of the companies would create a strong and established, unified financial services powerhouse in Africa. The offer would be made through a combination of Standard Bank shares and a cash consideration, representing a premium of more than 32 percent to Liberty’s current share price. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, and it will lead to the de-listing of Liberty. If the transaction is implemented, Liberty’s minority…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za STEINHOFF International subsidiary, the Pepco Group, yesterday said trading performance in the third quarter to the end of June improved, compared to the same quarter last year, after the easing of trading restrictions. However, despite the improvement the group still lost 7.5 percent of its trading weeks in the quarter, due to trading restrictions as a result of Covid-19, but was much better than the 18.4 percent lost in the same quarter last year. Pepco Group chief executive Andy Bond said they made good strategic progress in the third quarter, with all three of their brands delivering a resili- ent trading performance as consumers continued to come back to Pepco, Poundland and Dealz, following the gradual easing of Covid restrictions. “We continued to invest in…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s largest short-term insurer (STI), Santam, has paid R600 million to policyholders in addition to the R1 billion paid in interim relief to 2 500 policyholders in August last year, bringing to R1.6bn total contingent business interruption (CBI) payments to date, it said yesterday. A number of the 2 500 clients who received the R1bn interim relief in August last year had subsequently received additional payments. Most of these beneficiaries were small, medium and micro enterprises in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors. This comes as the insurer faces off with Insurance Claims Africa (ICA) over at least 850 claims by businesses that have accused Santam of increasing unappropriated profits by more than 20 percent to a record R53.5bn, while suppressing…

Zanele Mvana zanele.mvana@inl.co.za MOURNING Gugulethu residents yesterday spoke of their efforts to save two children who were killed in a blaze in Phola Park informal settlement. Twelve-year-old Ayanda Mcelu and nine-year-old Sinalo Mcelu died in a fire that damaged four shacks on Wednesday morning. City Fire and Rescue Services said they received a call for assistance just after 7.30am. When firefighters arrived at the scene of the fire in Phola Park they found several informal structures alight, but managed to contain and extinguish the blaze by 8.3am. Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “Going through debris, firefighters made the grisly discovery of the two bodies in one of the shacks. “By that time the police had arrived on the scene, and took over from the Fire and Rescue…

Kailene Pillay and Odwa Mkentane A SUSPECTED instigator behind the “economic sabotage” has been arrested while 11 others are under surveillance following days of unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which have claimed the lives of 117 people. While officials have yet to release the identity of the suspect, in a recent briefing Police Minister Bheki Cele said law enforcement agencies had a list of 12 South Africans who had been implicated in fuelling the violence. He said they included Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of jailed former president Jacob Zuma. Addressing the media yesterday, acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni avoided answering further questions on the topic and would not give details of the arrested suspect. Ntshavheni also reported that an inquest had been opened after six bodies were found…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za A PRELIMINARY investigation into the cause of a fire that destroyed two buses has ruled out arson. The buses were engulfed in flames just after 4am yesterday at the Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs) depot in Blackheath. Gabs spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said an investigation was continuing. “No injuries were reported and preliminary investigations do not point to arson as the cause. “A forensic investigator will be conducting an in-depth investigation to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire which started on one bus and spread to another,” said Dyke-Beyer. Social media reports linking the incident to taxi violence have also been refuted. “We would like to ask the media and public to please refrain from spreading fake news from unverified sources, which causes panic and can lead…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE City of Cape Town had intended to take up a study that would have wasted ratepayers money in hopes of running the Cape Town rail network. This is according to the National Treasury after the City issued a statement on Sunday bashing the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) over mismanagement of the rail system and Treasury for not authorising the “very critical” study. “It should be noted that, in terms of the National Land Transport Act of 2009, until such time that the function of commuter rail is devolved from national government to any other sphere of government, all transport plans that contemplate rail must be submitted to the Minister of Transport (Fikile Mbalula) for approval of the commuter rail component of such plans,”…

Chantel Erfort chantel.erfort@inl.co.za LET’S plant that tree. It’s never too late. With these words, clinical psychologist Wahbie Long concludes our interview. I had asked him for any parting shots. It’s a great way to finish, I tell him. And, actually, I add, a great place to start. The reference to planting that tree of course, is to the Chinese aphorism that “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”. The 40-year-old Rondebosch resident who grew up in Walmer Estate, is currently riding a wave of popularity following the release of Nation on the Couch in which he turns his psycho-analytic gaze on violence in South Africa. The book, he says, was written mostly in coffee shops during the early part of…

Ethiopia’s prime minister has led a brutal military campaign in Tigray IT NEVER ceases to amaze that some of the very people who receive Nobel Peace Prizes turn around and sanction just the types of atrocities they would have been expected to condemn. Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the most obvious who comes to mind. Her defence of the Myanmar military’s treatment of the country’s Rohingya minority, and her failure to condemn the gross abuses of human rights committed against them, led to calls for her prize to be withdrawn. More recently, the atrocities committed in Tigray by members of Ethiopia’s armed forces who were operating under the command of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, are equally concerning. Abiy…

Mark Keohane At a time when the citizens of South African are divided on so many issues, inevitably we look to sport to unite us, even if momentarily. The Springboks did this in Cape Town on Wednesday evening with a magnificent win against the British & Irish Lions. The Boks, playing in the guise of South Africa ‘A’, put down a marker for the three-Test series that will start in Cape Town on July 24. It was a needed reminder of every quality of every player who brought us so much joy in winning the World Cup in 2019. Out of the sight can be out of mind and the inactivity of the Springboks in the last 21 months because of the Covid pandemic had many doubting their capability against…

The world heritage committee of the UN’s cultural agency Unesco begins debating on Friday its list of World Heritage sites, with Australia and Britain furious over looming changes to the status of the Great Barrier Reef and Liverpool city. Nearly 50 new sites could be added to the over 1 100 listed worldwide, during two weeks of online meetings hosted by China. The agenda is particularly heavy after last year’s meeting was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. The World Heritage label can be a boon for tourism while encouraging governments to protect cultural or environmental treasures. But addition isn’t permanent, and sites can also be stripped of their status or be warned they are at risk. The agency’s expert committee will be examining the state of conservation of around…

LOS ANGELES: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex want people to share their stories of compassion. The couple believe reaching out to help other can “unleash incredible change” across the globe and so are keen to highlight gestures made by others. A post on their Archewell website read: “To us, compassion means listening with open ears to the suffering and celebrations of communities and people beyond ourselves. It means taking the time to understand their perspectives, experiences and needs based on what they say, rather than assuming what they need.” | Bang Showbiz…

Ramallah: The Israeli army said yesterday it had arrested between 20 and 30 Palestinian students in the occupied West Bank it accused of being “terror operatives” of Islamist group Hamas. Palestinian sources said dozens of students from Birzeit University were arrested as they were returning by bus from the village of Turmus Ayya where earlier this month Israeli troops demolished the family home of a Palestinian-American awaiting trial on charges of shooting a Jewish student in the West Bank earlier this year. Palestinian sources said some of the students were expected to be released soon, but others faced protracted detention. | AFP…

Dhaka: Hundreds of animals have died in Dhaka’s biggest pet market after stores were forced to close during Bangladesh’s Covid-19 lockdown, leaving owners desperate and rights activists angry. “We need to keep the doors open so the animals don’t suffocate,” shop owner Mohammad Polash said. About 400 birds and dozens of dogs, cats, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs have died since the market shut on July 1. After the deaths made national headlines, the government ordered police to let the pet market’s 75 shops open their doors for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. | AFP…

FORMER champions Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth sparkled in the morning sunshine as the 149th British Open started at Royal St George’s yesterday. South African Oosthuizen, the winner in 2010, made six birdies in a flawless 64 to finish on six-under par, one shot ahead of American Spieth, champion in 2017. Brian Harman matched his compatriot Spieth with a 65 to share second place, one clear of Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, South African Dylan Frittelli and veteran American Stewart Cink, another former champion. Oosthuizen, 38, struck his irons beautifully to pick up three birdies around the turn and added three more on the closing holes to make a strong start to his bid for a second major title. “Probably in my mind it was the perfect round I could have played,”…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has warned that the state-owned insurance company might not have enough resources to compensate businesses affected by the looting. Many companies have fallen victim to the widespread looting and vandalism of property and equipment after protests for the release of former President Jacob Zuma turned violent. Factories, warehouses, distribution centres and shopping malls were vandalised, looted and set alight by criminals over five days, leaving a trail of destruction running into billions of rand. The SA Special Risks Insurance Association (Sasria) has already indicated that it expected the insurance claims bill for the instability to cost up to R12 billion. Sasria’s current product range offered R500 million primary cover for classes of insurance, including material damage, business interruption, construction and…

GIvEN MAJOLA given.majola@inl.co.za THE FUEL RETAILERS’ Association of Southern Africa (FRA) has warned its members about the risk of filling of containers with fuel at retail service station sites, because this encouraged more acts of criminality during this volatile period. FRA chief executive Reggie Sibiya said that this was because fuel had been used in fuelling fires and the destruction of properties. The local association’s members affected by the looting were said to have been left worse off than the last period of losses caused by the Covid-19 lockdowns. “Our members have been reporting daily such incidents of looting and destruction which are on record. It is also important to realise that our members are basically now at the mercy of communities as they cannot get access to the product…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za Shopping centre group Hammerson, which has its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listing on the JSE and Euronext Dublin, said rent collection rates continued to improve, with 89 percent of rents collected for 2020, and 68 percent for the first half of 2021. It said Covid-19 related measures remained in place affecting food and beverage, leisure and cinema operators. The group said however it expected these to be lifted in the coming weeks in the UK. Additional restrictions had also been announced in France with from July 21, though it was too early to assess the operational impact. Footfall trends in all territories were encouraging, with seven-day averages currently sitting at around 70 to 80 percent of 2019 levels, following…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE families of 144 mental health patients who died while in the care of the Gauteng provincial government want the government to build a memorial hospital in their honour. They are adamant that they do not want a memorial stone that would cost more than a million rand, but a fully-fledged building that would look after the medical needs of mental health patients. The families’ wishes were articulated by one of the affected family members, Christine Nxumalo, during a press briefing yesterday about the families’ and Section27’s preparation for a formal inquest hearing into the death of 144 patients while in the care of bogus health-care centres. The tragedy unfolded in June 2015 when the Gauteng Health Department terminated a contract with Life Esidimeni Healthcare Centre, which…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za IN A significant victory for the poor and working class, the well-located SABC’s Rocklands Villas property in Sea Point will now be used for the development of affordable housing. The affordable social housing is expected to be for people earning between R1 500 and R15 000 a month. This after the cash-strapped public broadcaster accepted a R50 million offer from the Housing Development Agency (HDA), which is attached to the Department of Human Settlements. The SABC was set to auction the building yesterday at about 11am, following a court ruling last month that allowed the public broadcaster to proceed with the sale. HDA and the department had in May obtained an urgent interdict which resulted in the cancellation of the first attempted auction. SABC group executive for…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za FORMER top cop Major-General Jeremy Vearey will have his personal security services re-instated following a Western Cape High Court order yesterday. The axed Western Cape head of detectives lodged an urgent application for his security to be reinstated “with immediate effect as he feared for his safety”. Vearey will now have two specialised officers from the SAPS Tactical Response team assigned to him for security. The two officers, who were “vetted and appraised of the security threats”, were assigned with immediate effect. “Where the applicant is required to attend at court for the purposes of testifying and for any necessary travel by prior arrangement (the respondents) will provide Vearey with four members of the Tactical Response Team for these purposes,” the order read. The national commissioner and…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za FORMER Mossel Bay Municipality manager, Thys Giliomee’s employee contract has been prematurely terminated before an internal disciplinary process against him was concluded. Giliomee was placed on special, full-paid leave earlier this year after allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. In a statement, Mossel Bay mayor Harry Levendal confirmed the “agreement” to terminate Giliomee’s contract “after extensive negotiations”. The statement detailed how the DA-led municipality and Giliomee agreed to terminate his employment contract on July 13, and this decision followed the suspension and an investigation into alleged misconduct by Giliomee. Mossel Bay municipality spokesperson Nicky le Roux said: “A settlement was reached before a disciplinary hearing took place”. He said he could not comment further on the matter. Levendal said the “settlement was the logical and best solution…

Reviewer: Chantel Erfort Nation on the Couch Wahbie Long Loot.co.za (R215) Melinda Ferguson Books WAHBIE Long’s Nation on the Couch is not an easy read, but it certainly is a fascinating one. With racial and class inequality, and poverty still plaguing South Africa 27 years after our first democratic elections, and levels of corruption, unemployment and violent crime soaring, there has been much fodder for political, sociological and socio-economic analyses of South African society. Long – a clinical psychologist and associate professor in UCT’s Department of Psychology – however, takes a psychoanalytic approach, putting the country, so to speak, on his couch and looking at our current societal challenges through the lens of a psychoanalyst. He presents his case from the position that the primary problem in South Africa is…

THE PAST two weeks have been challenging for almost all of us in South Africa. At the time, the core of our challenges was about our former president’s future. Noting this, we started this week seeing violent protests and looting at various malls. It will be incorrect to think all this destruction was for the former president’s support. The looting in his name is in vain. And all those who committed the acts must be held to account for their actions. We cannot celebrate the destruction of our infrastructure and businesses, as it does not matter the cause of the protesters. It is more than a year since our national lockdown with all these efforts to add to our problems. This current challenge will affect us at three levels: at…

At least 45 people have died in Germany and dozens were missing yesterday as record rainfall in western Europe caused rivers to burst their banks, swept away homes and flooded cellars. Eighteen people died and dozens were missing around the wine-growing region of Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate state, police said, after the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine rose and brought down half a dozen houses. Another 15 people died in the Euskirchen region south of the city of Bonn, authorities said. In Belgium, two men died after torrential rain and a 15-year-old girl was missing after being swept away by a swollen river. Hundreds of soldiers were helping police with the rescue efforts in Germany, using tanks to clear roads of landslides and fallen trees, while helicopters winched those…

The US Pentagon is using an Air Force base in Texas to fly illegal migrants on passenger planes for “resettlement” across the US, Fox News host Tucker Carlson has revealed. “The Biden administration has enlisted the US military to move illegal immigrants secretly around our country”, Carlson said, citing an internal email sent in the Laughlin Air Force Base. Carlson showed the email sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Matthew Burrows, who was stationed at the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, in which Burrows explained to his subordinates: “Over the next few days, weeks, or months you may see passenger aircraft on a ramp transporting undocumented non-citizens. Please review the attached guidance on the issue. Do not take photos and refrain from posting anything on social media. “Several times ICE (US Immigration…

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Martine Moise, the wife of assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moise, gave her first health status update yesterday, saying that she was able to “hold on” after being wounded when her husband was killed on July 7 in Port-au-Prince. The former first lady of Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the Americas, has been recovering at a hospital in Miami, Florida, where she was flown for treatment. She described the moments leading up to the killing of the 53-year-old leader. “In the blink of an eye, the mercenaries entered my home and riddled my husband with bullets. They didn’t even give him a chance to say anything,” she said. She alleged that her husband was shot dead by “mercenaries” because of his plans to hold a referendum by the…

VIENNA: Austria yesterday reinforced its status as one of Europe’s most cash-loving countries by saying it opposed a plan by the European Commission to cap cash payments at 10 000 euros (about R172 000). Cash is a topic of political debate in Austria, where the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) has long called for the right to use cash to be inscribed in the constitution. Many restaurants and bars still do not accept card payments. In times of crisis, Austrians have also resorted to old-fashioned cash hoarding. In March last year they took out more than 4 billion euros in banknotes that they stashed at home or in bank safes, according to Austria’s central bank. | Reuters…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com ON the eve of Kaizer Chiefs' departure to Morocco, midfield dynamo Happy Mashiane passionately promised his mother he'll bring the Caf Champions League trophy home. It was a big call by Mashiane, who is a vital cog in the Chiefs midfield that has helped the team grind out one upset result after the other. The 23-year-old Mashiane has featured in four Champions League matches to date, but he is a fine example of the dashing players who have worn the Chiefs jersey with great distinction in Africa. In all competitions this season, Mashiane has scored two and recorded several assists in 25 matches. Three years ago, he was plucked from the club's youth ranks where Arthur Zwane was the mentor at the time. A year on, he…